Rolling into the winter months should mean anticipating the excitement of holiday celebrations, breaks off school, and the feeling of waking up to the beautiful coat of snow. However, for many upperclassmen at FHN, they are not looking up to the mistletoe dangling above their heads, but to the impending doom of the future, and what seems like the most important decision of their lives.
The first of November was the deadline for early decision applications for the majority of colleges in the US, with the Common App website only opening a few months before. This left many students with the feeling of stress and anxiety as their mental capacity was handling seniorities, harder classes, ACT testing and the adjustment from summer break all while gathering and completing the endless amount of paper work and materials needed for college applications.
Many students say they felt unprepared, and wish they had gotten started with the process sooner. The past few months held some of their busiest schedules, leaving little to no time to perfect and feel confident with their application, causing another stress factor. Many also say that additional guidance or time in school would have benefited them a lot more, especially during their junior year.
The Solution
To combat this stress some English teachers have started providing essay practice after the exam season in the spring for students their junior year, or the school-run ACT camps before that. Though these camps help with the test itself, the technicality of the Common App websites and its ins and outs are the main stressors.
The same concept and scheduling of the ACT camps could be replicated with Common App or Scissor Site directions. Students could also be walked through the act of requesting a letter of recommendation: who to ask, what to as, and how to ask, along with the continuation of extended essay-help time.
Camps like these would create a much smoother transition for those incoming seniors, but also take the ease of counselors, leaving them with more time to help and build connection with each individual student. Additionally, the less number of seniors stressed out and worried over school and applications would result in less “seniorities” cases, growing school attendance and grade rates. Another door this could open is additional tutoring hours for A+ or NHS students, where they can learn the ins and outs and help coach the camp.
We feel as this goal, if organized upon correctly, could greatly impact all upperclassmen with their transition into the next stage as well as take the ease of off staff members and educators.
